The Ugly Duckling
Once upon a time... There was a mother duck who hatched some eggs. Out of all the eggs came fluffy, beautiful little ducklings. Except for one. There was one egg that was larger than the rest, grey instead of white, and it took much longer to hatch. And when it finally did, instead of the duckling she expected, the mother duck was surprised to discover a chick with pokey, grey feathers. An ugly duckling. We all know the classic tale by Hans Christian Anderson. The duckling's childhood was a sad one, with all the other animals (including her siblings) pointing out how ugly she was. She … Read More...
Living a Life of Risk
You've probably heard it said that "The safest place to be is in the centre of God's will." I beg to differ. In fact, I propose that the centre of God's will is actually a very dangerous place to live. Safe (adjective): Protected from or not exposed to danger or risk; not likely to be harmed or lost. To be safe is to be in the seat of comfort. Physical comfort, emotional comfort, spiritual comfort. The place of comfort is a lot closer to the centre of our own will than the will of God. Physical comfort means I hold onto things tightly - my house, my truck, my extra padding … Read More...
What I’m Bringing Home from Haiti
I miss the Haitian coffee. It was somewhat thick, dark, and very strong, but with a rich, delicious quality to it. In comparison, my coffee these past few days has tasted like flavored water. I miss the Haitian weather. The air was heavy with humidity, warm, with a slight breeze most days. That weather was a soothing balm to my North American skin. Now, I'm breaking out, I feel dry and itchy everywhere, and my nose is out-of-control with stuffiness! I miss the Haitian church services. Three times a week, we worshipped. Singing, dancing, clapping, outbursts of prayers, "Amen"s, and … Read More...
Mini Me
(Late, but never forgotten. For my firstborn daughter's 10th birthday...) I have a little "Mini Me" at home. She looks like I did as a child. She enjoys many of the same things I enjoy. And she's very tender-hearted, as I was. If you reprimand her, nine times out of ten, my tender heart's face will fall, she'll grow silent, and then she'll take herself into solitary confinement for up to an hour. If you give her a book, she'll lose herself in it to the point of exhaustion, staying up too late and rising too early so that she can devour the words. If you give her pen and a paper (or … Read More...
